100% getting a Tacoma. 100% not sure what kind.

Of course cars were smaller back in the day and folks got by with the size just fine.

Except, rear facing newborn car seats are exponentially bigger now. Unless you've had a newborn in the last 15 years, you have no idea how big these monstrosities are now! My advice is to test fit the newborn carrier on any new car you're interested in and see if you can comfortably sit in the front seat.

With all that said, the Tacoma is still a great family hauler for me and works well for our family.

 

Have you had issues with your truck?

 

It’s really not that bad as far as a family vehicle goes. My wife’s vehicle is an expedition that we use most of the time for carting our family of 5 around. But when I bought my truck a few months back I first made sure I could do 2 car seats and a booster seat in the back. Totally doable. Definitely not preferred for every day, but can accommodate if need be. I’ve also driven 2 other grown men a couple hundred miles in it. As long as I was willing to slide my seat up they had plenty of room in the backseat. I have a tonneau cover on my bed as far as carting the kid stuff with us. It’s no worse than a mid size suv in my opinion, which is what a lot of folks have for families of 3 or 4.

 

it’s well worth the 5970

 

Just reading this, it sounds to me like the TRD Off-road premium is what ya want

• Factory Leather
• Factory Locker
• Factory good sound system

I’m very much the “buy once, cry once” type person

As an ex Toyota employee, if you walked in and gave me your list of wants, that’s what I’d put you in.

 

^ This. I don't need to sell the OP on the Tacoma, but DC + bed cover is a powerful combo. Plenty of space in the cab for 2 medium-sized adults, 2 kids and a small/medium dog. (Or 1 kid + big dog.) Large families or above-average sized adults will wat something else.

The bed is great for grabbing stuff needed for the house, small appliances, beach gear you don't want in the cab, loading up with camping gear, and cross-town hauling of furniture/grills/whatever. 5 ft bed is relatively small, though gate down plus tie downs will get it done. I wouldn't recommend a 6 foot bed if you are in a larger town or city, unless you regularly are loading up that space.

With a bed cover, the bed is also a big trunk--I have driven in heavy rain with luggage and it stayed bone dry (and safe from theft). And it works great for bulk grocery/household supply runs, locking food up when camping, clamping down oversized gear, etc.

By the way, I have a TRD OR with Tech Package (includes LED headlights plus safety features like BSM). My guess is that gets closest to the OP's objectives. The Trail Edition would also check many boxes, but as noted originally, isn't the best value at this point.

 

Off road 6MT for the win.

 

I’d not be shocked if some of these people commenting are the ones who do this. Lol.

 

100% will be a DC and have a topper too!

 

it’s his fault he didn’t lock the garage….

 

Thank you for the support and kindness, friend

 

Keep the 4Runner and buy a Tacoma for home improvement projects around the house. TRD offroad trims ride the best and offer the best value imo. A TRD base trim model would be recommended so you can customize it to suit your needs. Also, it's much cheaper to order LED Headlights as a factory option than swapping after the fact.

I've owned an 17 SR5 4x4 4Runner, 2020 TRD 4x4 4Runner and still have my 17 TRD 4x4 Tacoma. I liked TRD 4Runner the best and probably should have kept it. However, if I were going to buy another Toyota vehicle it would be a new loaded out Sequoia.

Pros and cons for each and none of them are perfect for my needs imo.

 

I appreciate your input! Enough of the naysayers, lol.

Are the headlight housings appropriate to pop LEDs in to?

 

If buying new you absolutely want the LED headlight upgrade. I had to donit after the fact and it was still worth it.

Don't just put led bulbs in the halogen enclosures, the lights scatter and will be worse.

 

You asked for advice on the internet....
Buy what want

 

I did! But just for advice on what trim!

 

Gotcha. I figured it wasn’t just plug and play. I thought so too. I’d rather just buy once crye once.

 

What?

 

45k-ish is MSRP for a DCSB with the options I want. So that’s good news!

 

Thank you for everyone that has taken the time to read and reply. I know a few of us were butting heads a little, but I still can take solace in the fact that you are just trying to help. I did not expect to get such a big turnout for this thread. Thanks all for being so welcoming. I can’t wait to show you when I get it.